Escape Technology Handcuffs To Unleash Business Transformation

Those of us who have been at the IT game for a long time remember back in the 90s when a management craze for Business Process Re-engineering took hold. This method had mixed results and was criticized as a “flop” by technology and management gurus like Geoffrey Moore.

But if you paid close attention, there was a pattern at work that indicated that the fundamental idea of business process re-engineering was sound but that it failed because of exogenous factors. At the time, in reading through success stories about re-engineering, it was clear to me that re-engineering business processes was most successful when the underlying IT systems didn’t need to be radically transformed. If those systems could be adjusted in minor ways and still support the re-engineered process, then re-engineering worked. The reason that re-engineering was called a flop is that so many re-engineering problems required major surgery and the process automation and development tools of the era just weren’t up to the job.

Escaping Technology Handcuffs to Achieve Business Transformation

So, if my theory about the failure of re-engineering is correct, if a platform emerged that could create process automation and app development to support a reengineered process quickly and without costing too much, then re-engineering should succeed. And more fundamentally, the entire concept of re-engineering would be, itself, “re-engineered” to be about rapid, iterative Business Transformation.

Last week, at the Appian World conference, I saw evidence that we are about to enter an age of transformation powered by model-driven app development platforms like Appian. In essence, Appian has shown through enough different examples that it has a credible claim to being a business transformation platform. But why is that so? And what do I mean by a “business transformation platform”? And how does such a platform work? These are questions worth exploring, so let’s give them a closer look.

Both of these companies had a laser focus on understanding the ideal state of their business processes and then moving their organizations toward that ideal state. What was remarkable was that neither company reported that technology was a significant barrier to progress. In my view, the IT landscape has matured in the following ways, removing barriers to re-engineering:

-) The footprint of applications is now much larger, so lots more data describing activity is being captured and can be used to provide visibility and support automation.

-) Integration is much less costly and standardized through APIs. Almost every application is API-enabled.

-) Connectivity is pervasive, both through broadband and wireless technology.

-) Computing is pervasive through desktops, laptops, and mobile devices.

-) BI technology is much easier to use and more widespread.

Appian 7 also seems to have some unique features that make a program of transformation additive:

-) The Tempo interface with five standard tabs can be used to explore the data and capabilities of any application on any device. This reduces training costs and increases the amount of information and automation immediately available.

-) Model-driven development allows for agile cycles to react to user input.

-) Model-driven development expands the pool of development talent by making things as easy as possible, but also by allowing representation of complex processes, integration logic, and user interfaces when needed.

-) Appian's Records paradigm creates a flexible container to collect many different types of information and support unstructured or loosely structured work. This structure has been proven valuable by Case Management vendors and by collaboration vendors such as Box.com.

-) The SAIL UI system is declarative, which enables a create once, run anywhere user interface.

-) Both mobile access and collaboration are built-in capabilities of any Appian app.

What Does a Program of Business Transformation Look Like?

The expansion and maturation of both IT and Appian mean that companies like CME and Punch no longer think in terms of IT, but in terms of business transformation. But it is important to note that neither company started out by declaring a program of business transformation. When I checked with other implementation partners and Appian clients who were traveling down this road, a pattern emerged that showed how a program of transformation could only succeed after the IT department built credibility both with senior management and line-of-business staff.

The pattern occurs in three stages.

First, Appian is applied to a high-value problem. This introduces new concepts such as the Tempo interface, model driven development, and capabilities like Records that can be used over and over for different purposes.

Second, both the IT department and the line-of-business executives start using Appian as a platform. More projects are done, which builds credibility with senior management, line of business staff, and the rest of IT. One challenge reported at this stage is that as more problems are solved, budgets for development and user licenses must rise. Some people leading programs reported they hit a bump in having to fight for increased budget.

Third, Appian is accepted as the vehicle for implementing business transformation. At this stage, the number of people developing on Appian expands outside of IT. But in essence, Appian disappears from the conversation because it is the default choice for optimizing processes. Instead, the focus becomes innovation, customer satisfaction, and re-engineering business processes to implement the strategy. In his presentation, William Flowers, CIO, Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport, explained how all of his IT spending flows out of company strategy. Of course, this is as it should be, but often IT spending is not so well aligned.

This third stage is essentially the vision that business process re-engineering has envisioned from the start. But now it is much easier to accomplish.

What Are the Alternatives to Appian?

It is possible to create a platform for business transformation in many ways. There are other vendors who offer model-driven development environments for BPM or case management, but none of them have combined the innovation of the Tempo UI along with Records, built in collaboration, and instant mobile device support.

Regardless of how you do it, though, it seems clear that it is time to revisit the idea business process re-engineering and to find a way to create a platform for business transformation. I would love to hear from companies who are going down this road.

Dan Woods is CTO and editor of CITO Research, a publication where early adopters find technology that matters. For more stories like this one visit www.CITOResearch.com. Dan has done research for Appian and other BPM and Case Management companies.

My mission: Find technology for Early Adopters. Follow me: on Twitter @danwoodsearly on LinkedIn @ www.linkedin.com/in/danwoodsearly/ on myBlog @ https://earlyadopter.com. I am a CTO, writer, and consultant. For tech vendors, I help explain their technology. For users, I he...